Dynasty HeatSeekers

Is Malik Willis worth a top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after Senior Bowl showing?

Bio

Malik Willis started his high school football career at Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia. However, before finishing high school, Willis transferred to Roswell High School also in Georgia. Here he had a very strong showing as a senior, passing for 2,562 yards and rushing for 1,033 yards. He scored 37 total touchdowns in his senior season at Roswell.

He then went on to commit to Auburn University after high school.

College

The start of Malik Willis’ college career can be filed away under “not great, Bob”. In his freshman and sophomore season, where he attended Auburn, he only attempted 14 passes, completing 11 of them for 69 yards and 1 touchdown.

However, before his junior season, Malik Willis entered the transfer portal and ended up at Liberty University. This ended up being a terrific move by Willis who played 23 games for the Flames. In two seasons at Liberty, Malik Willis completed 377 passes of 604 attempts for 5,107 passing yards and 47 touchdowns to only 17 interceptions.

On top of the passing work, Malik Willis showed his ability as a dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 1,822 yards on 338 carries and 27 touchdowns.

Is Malik Willis worth a top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after Senior Bowl showing?

NFL Outlook

Malik Willis is a tremendously polarizing player. Some analysts don’t believe that he is ready to be an NFL starter and that he needs to sit a season or two. Others believe that he could (and should) be taken as high as Top 10 in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Whether he is ready or not to start in the NFL come opening day of the season remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain. Willis has a sky-high ceiling, and his rushing ability could make him an intriguing prospect for QB-needy NFL teams come the 2022 NFL Draft. In the Senior Bowl, Willis showed off said rushing ability as he ran for 54 yards on just four carries.

Physically, Malik Willis has everything. He might not be amongst the tallest quarterbacks, but his athleticism is up there with some of the best rushing QBs in the NFL. Another of his physical traits is the absolute cannon he has for an arm. He has almost unique physical traits for an NFL QB, which is going to entice a GM/HC combo to draft him.

When you look at Malik Willis’ skills as a quarterback, this is where the question marks begin to present themselves. The biggest issue our RotoHeat analysts have had with Willis is that he is incredibly inconsistent with his throws. One play he can throw an absolute dart with perfect placement. The next play he misses a wide-open receiver over the middle by several yards.

Willis needs to work on his pocket presence, accuracy, and decision-making if he is ever going to hold on to a starting QB job in the NFL for more than a couple of seasons. He trusts his physical tools too much, and in the NFL that can become dangerous. The pocket collapses much faster, and throwing lanes close much faster.

However, if a good coach gets his hands on Malik Willis and helps him develop, we could see an upside in the same vein of Josh Allen, who went from an unpolished QB prospect to one of the best QBs in the league.

In general, Malik Willis is one of the biggest boom or bust prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft, but it appears likely that at least one team is going to love him. We would be surprised if he lasts out of the top 20 in the 2022 NFL Draft with a handful of teams in the top 15 looking for the future of their franchise,

Desmond Ridder attended St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky. As a senior, Ridder passed for 1,319 yards and nine touchdowns. In addition, he led the team in rushing with 668 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Ridder was rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and a three-star recruit by 24/7 Sports. He committed to play college football at the University of Cincinnati.

Ridder appeared in 50 games for the Bearcats over four seasons. In those 50 contests, Ridder completed 810 of his 1,304 passes, (62.1%) for 10,239 yards and 87 touchdowns. In addition to his production in the passing game, Desmond Ridder totaled 2,180 rushing yards and scored 28 touchdowns on 501 career carries. His best season came in his 2021 season, in which he totaled 3,334 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions.

Is Desmond Ridder a First Round QB in the 2022 NFL Draft?

Is Desmond Ridder rising up 2022 NFL Draft boards after NCAA Semi-finals appearance?

Bio

Desmond Ridder attended St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky. As a senior, Ridder passed for 1,319 yards and nine touchdowns. In addition, he led the team in rushing with 668 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Ridder was rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and a three-star recruit by 24/7 Sports. He committed to play college football at the University of Cincinnati.

College

Ridder appeared in 50 games for the Bearcats over four seasons. In those 50 contests, Ridder completed 810 of his 1,304 passes, (62.1%) for 10,239 yards and 87 touchdowns. In addition to his production in the passing game, Desmond Ridder totaled 2,180 rushing yards and scored 28 touchdowns on 501 career carries. His best season came in his 2021 season, in which he totaled 3,334 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions.

NFL Outlook

Is Desmond Ridder rising up 2022 NFL Draft boards after NCAA Semi-finals appearance?

Desmond Ridder will enter the NFL with four seasons of starting experience on his resume. Throughout his career at Cincinnati, Ridder has demonstrated steady growth with each passing season. When projecting Ridder to the next level, he checks the boxes in terms of size, arm, mobility, and experience. His arm talent gives him access to the entire field and he is an exceptional runner where he showcases outstanding vision, athleticism, and the ability to break tackles. Because of his dual-threat ability, the entire playbook should be available for Ridder’s new offense.

When it comes to areas in which Ridder needs to develop in the NFL, his ball placement and decision making top the list. At times Desmond Ridder demonstrated impressive levels of accuracy only to regress and show his inability to hit his pass catchers at other times. Overall Ridder’s accuracy is best described as inconsistent. When it comes to his decision making, Ridder did well not to turn the ball over very often (28 INTs on 801 attempts), but his decisions with the ball can be overly aggressive at times, leading to forced passes. In addition, he often left the pocket to run vs. stepping up to find an open receiver. His mechanics show room for improvement as well. Improving his mechanics should improve his ball placement.

The majority of the RotoHeat analysts see Ridder as a starting NFL caliber quarterback. Ridder should excel in a run-first offense that involves the quarterback in the running game. The team projects Ridder to come off the board in the second round this year’s NFL Draft.

Thank you for reading this breakdown of Desmond Ridder. Do you think Desmond Ridder is a First Round Pick in the 2022 NFL Draft?

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Jerrion Ealy attended Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Mississippi. While in high school, he played football, baseball, and ran on the track team. According to 247sports.com, Ealy was a high-end baseball prospect and had some good track numbers. He was a 5-star recruit that had received offers from Alabama, Clemson, Auburn, and Mississippi State. Ealy would turn them down and enroll at Ole Miss.

Jerrion Ealy would play in 12 games in his freshman season, rushing 104 times for 722 yards and 6 touchdowns. In his sophomore season, Ealy would carry the ball 147 times for 745 yards and 9 scores. In his junior season, Ealy would rush 133 times and gained 770 yards while adding 5 scores on the ground. He was also able to add 67 receptions for 545 yards and 4 additional touchdowns through the air during those 33 games.

Is Jerrion Ealy a Running Back to Keep an Eye On?

Bio

Jerrion Ealy attended Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Mississippi. While in high school, he played football, baseball, and ran on the track team. According to 247sports.com, Ealy was a high-end baseball prospect and had some good track numbers. He was a 5-star recruit that had received offers from Alabama, Clemson, Auburn, and Mississippi State. Ealy would turn them down and enroll at Ole Miss.

College

Jerrion Ealy would play in 12 games in his freshman season, rushing 104 times for 722 yards and 6 touchdowns. In his sophomore season, Ealy would carry the ball 147 times for 745 yards and 9 scores. In his junior season, Ealy would rush 133 times and gained 770 yards while adding 5 scores on the ground. He was also able to add 67 receptions for 545 yards and 4 additional touchdowns through the air during those 33 games.

NFL Outlook

Jerrion Ealy has very good patience, showing an ability to let an over-aggressive defender miss before hitting the gap with speed, accelerating to the next level. Ealy has shown that he can be a complete pass-catcher out of the backfield showing diversity in routes and good vision in space.

As mentioned earlier, Ealy was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school and displayed some of the tools that an NFL franchise might be looking for. He could have a long and solid career in the NFL. He was also able to showcase his talents as a kick returner, which would only help his NFL draft stock and ability to stay in the NFL for a long time.

Sadly, there are some concerns that we do have about Ealy as well. Even though he does have some of the tools to succeed in the NFL, he lacks in some of the other areas; he has a specific skill set, and not all the NFL teams might not be looking for a running back like Ealy. His size is probably his biggest concern, seeing as he is just 5’8″ and 185 pounds. he played bigger than his size at Ole Miss, but that won’t fly in the NFL, especially in pass protection when someone like Aaron Donald could be barreling down on him.

Another concern is that Ealy didn’t take that step forward in 2021. His highest yard per game average was in his freshman season. Ealy scored the most touchdowns during his sophomore campaign. All three seasons’ rushing totals were within 50 yards of each other–just like he plateaued once he got to college.

Jerrion Ealy has the potential to be a sleeper running back of the 2022 draft class, but most of us at RotoHeat.com have the concerns covered above. What do you think?

Thank you for reading this breakdown of  Jerrion Ealy. Is Jerrion Ealy a running back you will be keeping an eye on?

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I wanted to do a multi-part series breaking down a few landing spots for some 2022 rookies that would move the needle (for me) from a fantasy football perspective. I will look at these teams on an intimate level and take into account team needs, financials, and trends from the current regime (if applicable). As we know, landing spots can be critical to the future success of the prospect. I truly believe that coaching, opportunity, and the environment the player is in can write the story for a player’s career. Very few players, in my opinion, can overcome a tumultuous landing spot.

Malik Willis, QB, Liberty – Denver Broncos

2022 Rookies: Intriguing Landing Spots - Part One 44

Malik Willis is a very polarizing prospect that will require some coaching and significant refinement. This QB class has been criticized throughout the draft process, however, Malik Willis possesses unique traits that separate him from his counterparts. In my opinion, he has the most arm talent in the class and can drive the football where needed. He has rare speed and elusiveness that will cause opposing defenses problems when trying to contain him.

The Denver Broncos have a stout defense, a dynamic rushing attack, and underutilized wide receivers. Add in athletic weapons such as Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam, and this has the makings of a dream scenario for any rookie QB to land in–insert Malik Willis. I think he could transform this offense and elevate this team to compete with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert who reside in Denver’s division.

I found an interesting quote taken from the Broncos Wire from an interview with their new head coach, Nathaniel Hackett. He stated, “You want to make the defense cover the entire field. You want to take shots down the field. Let’s all face it, that’s what the people in the stands love — they love those bombs down the field. I remember watching John Elway throw the ball down the field to [Ed] McCaffrey on all of those boot fakes. That was unbelievable.” I really felt this quote spoke to the traits that Willis has and the surrounding parts of this team that could really elevate his game while he adjusts to the NFL.

Denver currently sits at pick 9, the same pick they had last year when they passed on Justin Fields for Patrick Surtain II. They have an opportunity to sit still and potentially draft Malik Willis, although I would not be surprised if he was the first QB taken off the board. In that case, Denver may need to move up a few spots, but they are certainly in striking distance for this to be a realistic scenario we see unfold on day one of the 2022 NFL draft.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU – Arizona Cardinals

2022 Rookies: Intriguing Landing Spots - Part One 45

After some initial research, it appears CB and EDGE are two bigger needs for the Cardinals this offseason. RB is a need, but undoubtedly not as pressing as some other positions. However, James Connor and Chase Edmonds are free agents and they will need to address the position. According to Over the Cap, if the Cardinals did nothing with their roster, they would exceed the cap limit by just over $800,000. Finding a cheaper alternative at RB could be a cost-effective way to fill a void, and I believe Tyler Allgeier would fit this team. Allgeier ideally would land in a zone scheme, which is what Arizona primarily has their backs run in their current system.

Allgeier fits the profile for a lead back in a committee. For fantasy purposes, I could see him step into the James Conner role where he saw 202 rushing attempts and 39 targets. An additional 116 attempts and 53 targets are also vacated from the likely departure of Edmonds,

Breece Hall, a two-sport athlete from Wichita, Kansas, played football and basketball at Wichita Northwest high school. Breece Hall was a consensus 4-star running back that gained a total of 4,209 rushing yards on 421 carries. While averaging 10 yards per rush and 168 yards per game. He was able to see the end zone 61 times on the ground and 74 times total. After receiving several scholarships from schools such as Nebraska, Michigan, and Ole Miss, Breece Hall decided to take his talents to Arizona State University.

Breece Hall was a part of the 2019 recruiting class for the Arizona State Cyclones, and by mid-season, he was given a chance to make an impact as a true freshman. With season totals of 897 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns on 4.8 yards per carry, Hall proved he was primed for a bigger workload. Not to forget about his receiving numbers, Hall was able to bring in 23 catches with 252 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. It was due to his proven versatility that Hall was named 2nd Team All-Big 12 as a true freshman.

As a sophomore, He gained a season total of 1,572 rushing yards on 279 carries. He was also able to put up 21 rushing touchdowns as well. While leading the FBS in rushing, he was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and First Team Big 12. To cap off Hall’s breakout season, he was the first unanimous All-American in Arizona State school history.

As a junior, Hall continued to add to his dominance, gaining over 1,000 yards again with 1,472 respectfully while scoring another 20 touchdowns on the ground and having 3 receiving scores on 36 catches.

After three successful seasons, Hall would officially announce that he’s entering the 2022 NFL Draft via Twitter on December 18, 2021. Hall should be considered a top rookie running back in this year's draft.

James Cook, brother of NFL running back Dalvin Cook, was born and raised in Miami Florida. He attended the prestigious Miami Northwestern, as well as Miami Central High School, where he was a 4-star recruit. Cook was rated the #3 all-purpose in the nation back by 247Sports, earning him top honors among all other Florida running backs.

Among all other high school prospects, Cook came in at #96, making him one of the top RBs in the nation. He received offers from 16 Division-1 schools, including Florida State, Alabama, USC, Miami, Florida, Ohio State, and many others. Cook was committed early to Florida State, where his brother was a star RB, but later flipped his commitment.

James Cook chose to attend college at Georgia, where he immediately became a contributor. During his freshman season, Cook had 41 carries for 284 yards and two TDs. He averaged 6.9 YPC and also pitched in 8 catches for 89 yards.

Through his first three years on campus, Cook served mostly in a complementary role having limited touches (less than 50 carries and 20 receptions) during each of those seasons. Despite the limited work he received, Cook was able to produce well when given the opportunity, averaging no less than 6.1 YPC in any of those three seasons.

Cook returned for his senior season, where he earned himself a much larger workload. In 2021, Cook rushed for 728 yards on 113 carries (6.4 YPC) and 7 TDs, while also hauling in 27 catches for 284 yards and 4 TDs. The increase in opportunity helped Cook burst onto the scene in the 2022 NFL Draft class and was the start of his ascent in the rookie running back rankings.

Chris Olave attended Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, California. In his senior season, he caught 93 passes for 1,764 yards and 26 touchdowns. 247Sports.com had him as a four-star prospect entering the 2017 signing class. Olave decided to go to Ohio State University, turning down local universities like USC, UCLA, and Utah.

Olave appeared in 38 games for the Buckeyes in his 4-year career. In those games, he caught 175 passes for 2,702 yards and 35 touchdowns. His senior season, Olave had 65 receptions for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns, all career highs. His 13 receiving touchdowns in the 2021 season were the most in the Big Ten, while his 12 in 2019 were second best. He finished his career fourth all-time in receiving touchdowns for the Big Ten. Olave was able to finish his college career with a 15.4 yard per reception rate.

Where will Chris Olave be drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft?

Could Olave Be the Top Rookie Wide Receiver of the 2022 NFL Draft Class?

Bio

Chris Olave attended Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, California. In his senior season, he caught 93 passes for 1,764 yards and 26 touchdowns. 247Sports.com had him as a four-star prospect entering the 2017 signing class. Olave decided to go to Ohio State University, turning down local universities like USC, UCLA, and Utah.

College

Olave appeared in 38 games for the Buckeyes in his 4-year career. In those games, he caught 175 passes for 2,702 yards and 35 touchdowns. His senior season, Olave had 65 receptions for 936 yards and 13 touchdowns, all career highs. His 13 receiving touchdowns in the 2021 season were the most in the Big Ten, while his 12 in 2019 were second best. He finished his career fourth all-time in receiving touchdowns for the Big Ten. Olave was able to finish his college career with a 15.4 yard per reception rate.

NFL Outlook

Could Olave Be the Top Rookie Wide Receiver of the 2022 NFL Draft Class?

Due to Olave returning for his senior season, he could possibly be the most polished and complete wide receiver in the 2022 draft class. Olave is arguably the best route runner in the class and possesses the experience to run a complete route tree. Olave has speed and a first step to help beat defenders off the line giving him an advantage against cornerbacks downfield. Olave also possesses a good football IQ, finding a way to get around defenders making difficult catches downfield. He is also a surprisingly good blocker given his frame.

Olave stands at 6’1″ and weighs in at 185 pounds, which is why a lot of us at RotoHeat were so surprised he was a good blocker. His smaller size could cause him to lose more contested passes and jump balls in the NFL. Another concern was that Olave seemed to slide down the pecking order after returning to Ohio State, as Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba seemed to get more attention from freshman quarterback CJ Stroud. Olave led the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns last season and led the Buckeyes in receiving yards the previous two seasons.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see Chris Olave go in the first round of the NFL Draft come April. Olave being the first wide receiver that was taken overall isn’t out of the realm of possibility considering his speed, route running, and experience.

Thank you for reading our breakdown of Chris Olave. What do you think? Does Chris Olave go in the first round of the NFL Draft?

For more great fantasy football content, follow RotoHeat on Twitter, subscribe to our website, and YouTube Channel. Engage with 2,200+ passionate dynasty managers and let the RotoHeat content team know what topics YOU want to hear about by visiting our ROTOHEAT – Dynasty Fantasy Football Community.